Basketball Workout with Jade of Spades

A post-Thanksgiving workout for either the home or the road.

Each month SLAMonline will bring you a new hoops workout—which can be performed anywhere, any time—from celebrity trainer and former Duquesne basketball player, Jade Alexis. The workouts are adapted for basketball players, enthusiasts, weekend warriors and anyone else who is up for some good exercise. All you need is a deck of cards or the Jade of Spades fitness app.—Ed.

by Jade Alexis / @LivingJade

Grab a deck of cards—take out the jokers! Follow these simple directions and exercise descriptions below. Do this workout 2-3 times a week and check back next month for a new routine.

Train your muscles to maximize your basketball game, physique and fitness. This routine and the workouts to follow include exercises to enhance your cardio on the basketball court, strengthen your legs, define your core, increase your jumping potential and improve your agility.

HOW TO PLAY

Each suit (spade, club, heart or diamond) will correspond with a particular exercise. For example, Defensive Slides corresponds with clubs. The number on the card determines how many repetitions you do. An 8 of clubs means you do 8 defensive slides. Face cards are a 10-second rest. If you want a harder workout, skip face cards for no rest or do 11, 12 and 13 reps for each jack, queen and king, respectively.

(Note: If you don’t have a deck of cards, use our app Jade of Spades on your iPhone, iTouch or iPad. The Jade of Spades app is available for $1.99 in the app store. Jade of Spades will provide additional workouts, time your efforts and countdown your rest periods, among other attributes.)

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS

Defensive Slides – Clubs

Start in a defensive stance (back straight, bent knees, hands out waist level). Slide to the left 4 steps and back to your starting position. Over and back is one repetition. Make sure that your feet never touch one another.

Up Downs – Hearts

Start standing, squat down and touch the floor with both hands. (Make sure that you are bending at your hips) Jump up as high as you can, both arms reaching in the air. Land lightly in a seated squat position (to protect your knees) then return to stand.

Forearm Plank to Push Up – Diamonds

Start in plank position. Forearms flat on the ground and your body should be parallel to the ground. Do not let your hips sink and keep your butt low. Engage your core. Walk your hands to push up position, keeping your feet stable and perform a push up, return to plank position to complete the repetition.

Wall Sit – Spades

Start standing with your back against the wall. Walk your feet out 2 feet in front of you. Slide your bum down until your knees and quads form a 90-degree angle. Your quads should be parallel to the ground, and knees inline with your ankles. Every time you pull a spade, do a 30-second plank regardless of the number on the card.

For more health and fitness info and tips, please check out livingjade.com or Jade of Spades in the app store.